PENNSVILLE – South Jersey's all-time touchdown and passing leader Dylan Cummings would be a big loss for any team, but the Pennsville Memorial High School football team graduated a lot more than its standout quarterback after last season.

As usual, coach Ryan Wood is focusing on what he has back – and he sees a lot to be positive about heading into the new season.

“We do lose a lot, but we played so many different kids that … if you look at the skill positions … we're not starting from scratch,” he said during a recent practice.

The Eagles said farewell to Cummings, who was responsible for more than 3,500 yards and 55 touchdowns last season, and all but one player who posted more than 250 total yards last season. But Wood noted that that one player is starting running back Josh Van Blarcom, and all but one of the receivers in his spread attack saw varsity time in 2013 for the 9-2 squad.

The new-look offensive line has just one man back in sophomore tackle Robbie Saulin, but the new faces have worked in Wood's attack and he's confident they'll rise to the challenge. As for filling Cummings' shoes, sophomore P.J. Halter and junior Matt Widmaier are in competition for the job and it seems to be a position of least concern.

“I really have no idea, and the truth is I have no doubt we could go out and win football games … with either one,” said Wood. “They're still young, they're still learning. It's still their first opportunity to run the show. I know it sounds like coach's talk but it's not. … They quarterbacked the JV team last year, and we split their time (alternating series).

“We had some issues at some of the skill spots (last year), we were young, learning (and had injuries). The offense was Dylan, he threw it, he ran it. We moved it pretty well.... I'm happy ... to be able to get back to the way we want to run our offense, which is to make the defense account for all six skill guys. I think as a unit we're more difficult to defend.”

It's a similar situation on defense, with linebackers Ryan Simpkins, Cody McNiss and Logan Robbins back as well as much of the secondary. The biggest change the Eagles might have to face is replacing the leadership players like Cummings, Drew Burdsall, Tim Esham and Cody Dooley brought with only a handful of seniors expected to see significant playing time.

“That's the one thing we need to see happen,” Wood said. “It's a group of kids that's been playing together their whole lives. I think the chemistry is good, they all fit in and know their roles.”

Pennsville has gone 39-15 under Wood since he took over the head job in 2009, but has reached only one title game when it fell to Glassboro in 2011. Even with everything the team will be doing without, there's still a lot of optimism that a championship drought stretching back to 1981 could come to an end with what it has.

“I know everybody thinks, aw, they lost everybody,” said Wood. “We don't see it that way. Everybody loses some people. It's the nature of the game. But all these guys have been out playing and repping, and now it's their turn. I have extremely high hopes for them. I think we're going to be standing at the end of the year, I really do.”